Patent GB-487341-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to multiplying machines
IPC: G06F7/46
Filed: 1936-12-18
Abstract: 487,341. Calculating - apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Dec. 18, 1936, Nos. 34875 and 34876. Convention dates, Dec. 21, 1935 and May 27, 1936.. [Class 106 (i)] A multiplying-machine comprises means for entering both factors, a plurality of multipleforming mechanisms each operable to calculate any multiple of the multiplicand, a plurality of control means controlled by the multiplier entering means each in accordance with a different digit of the multiplier, and each operable to cause an associated multipleforming mechanism to calculate the multiple corresponding to the related digit of the multiplier and accumulating means for summing the multiples formed. The invention. is shown embodied in a record-card controlled machine and operates in a manner similar to that of the machines described in Specifications 456,367, 456,368, and 457,136 but instead of forming a standard series of multiples only those that correspond to the actual digits of the multiplier are entered. Card feed mechanism. The machine is driven by a constantly rotating main shaft 10, Fig. 4, which is geared to feed rollers 12, 13, Fig. 5, that feed the card past upper and lower reading brushes UB, LB with the usual card contacts UCL, LCL. The card is advanced to the rollers 12 by a picker 11 operated from the shaft 10 through a one-revolution clutch 21, 22. 26 under the control of an electromagnet 25. Register, accumulators, and read-out mechanism. This mechanism is of the usual Hollerith kind having a drive shaft 27, Fig. 7, geared to the main shaft 10 and having, for each denomination, clutch elements 28 operatively connected to a lever 29 normally held by a latch 31 forming the armature of an electromagnet 32. Upon release of the latch a leaf spring 33 moves the lever 29 to cause engagement of the clutch. At the proper time a cam operates a finger 38 to disengage the clutch. A gear 35 on the shaft 27 actuates a numeral wheel 37 and a gear 39 carrying a pair of insulated brushes 40 that co-operate with a set of conducting studs 41 and a common conducting segment 42. Resetting-mechanism. The shaft 61 which supports the numeral wheels is notched to pick up pawls on the wheels when the shaft is rotated to advance the wheels to zero position. The shaft 61 carries a gear 62, Fig. 6, meshing with a gear 63 on a reset shaft 64. The gears 63 for the different accumulators and register are coupled to the shaft 64 by manually adjusted clutches in a known manner. A gear 65 on the end of the shaft 64 is driven by an intermittent gear 66 secured to a shaft 67 adapted. to be coupled by a one-revolution clutch 69, 74 to a constantly rotating shaft 43 under the control of an electromagnet 73. Printing-mechanism. This mechanism comprises type bars 53, Fig. 9, slidably mounted on a cross-head 52 operatively connected to arms 51 on a rock shaft 50 carrying an arm 49 that co-operates with a cam 45 adapted to be coupled to the shaft 43 by a one-revolution clutch 44, 46 under the control of an electromagnet 48. The type bars are provided with ratchet teeth 54 that co-operate with stop pawls 55 to arrest the movement of the bars when the printing magnets 58 are energized. Cams and contact devices, impulse emitters. Various cam controlled contact devices are provided; the cams " L " operate only during card feed cycles, the cams " TP " operate only during the printing and reset cycle, and the cams " CR " are in constant rotation. A set of impulse emitters E1, E2, E4, 1E3, 2E3, and 3E3 are provided and their brushes or arms are constantly rotated. Circuit arrangements. The diagram Figs. 1, 1a, and 1b show part of the circuits for a threefigure multiplier. For each record card there will be two cycles during which the card is moved past the upper and lower brushes, a variable number of cycles for doubling the amount entered in the accumulators and for transferring the amount from the register to one or other of the accumulators, two cycles during which the amounts gathered will be transferred from two of the accumulators to the third accumulator and then a product printing and resetting cycle. Depression of the start key, Fig. 1, will close its contacts 78 to energize feed magnet 25 to feed the card R to the dotted line position Fig. 5. A second depression of the start key feeds the first card past the upper brushes U.B. During the passage of the index positions 9 to 1 the contacts L1 are closed and during the passage of the O position the contacts L2 are closed. With the contacts L1 closed a, circuit is completed through the brushes UB in the multiplier field, the emitter E1 and one of the relay magnets 1B ... 6B. If one of the digits of the multiplier is zero one or other of the magnets 1A, 2A or 3A is energized to suppress the entry into the corresponding accumulator. A set of relays C, 1C, 2C ... 6C and corresponding contacts is provided as a cycle controller to determine the number of variable cycles required to complete the calculation. The circuit through the relays is normally energized during the initial cycle of operation or during the previous computation the contacts 1B1, 2B1 ... 6B1 being closed. When certain of the relays 1B &c. are energized the corresponding contacts B1 are opened and the related contacts 1B2, 2B2 ... 6B2 are closed so as to de-energize all the magnets C having the same and a lower prefix thereby establishing a circuit through a relay Y to close contacts Y1. During the cycles following that in which the card passes the upper brushes the emitter E4 traverses its contact segments a ... g and will successively re-energize all the relays C and thereby de-energize the relay Y. This action closes the relay contacts Y2 and establishes a circuit through a relay 1G to control the first gathering operation. During this operation the cam contacts CR5 close and a circuit is completed to energize relay 2G to control the second gathering operation. Next the closure of cam contacts CR7 causes the energization of a relay P which opens its contacts P2, P3, to prevent further energization of relays 1G, 2G. The relay P then controls the printing magnet 48 and the reset magnet 73 through its closed contacts P4. As the card passes the lower brushes the multiplicand is entered in the register MC and in the three accumulators 1, 2, and 3, Fig. lb. A typical circuit extends through the cam contacts CR9, lever contacts LCL, lower brush LB, plug connection 91, socket 92 to the register magnet 32. From each socket 92 a connection 93 is made to a socket 94 connected to the contacts 1A2, &c. of the magnets 1A, &c. Between these contacts and the sockets 92 of the three accumulator magnets 32 contacts H2 are connected. The contacts H2 are closed by a relay H which is energized during the cycle when the card traverses the lower brushes. If magnets 1A, &c. are energized by presence of a zero position the contacts 1A2, &c. are opened so that the corresponding accumulator receives no entry. The circuits for doubling the amount on any accumulator comprise plug connections 95, relay contacts 1D2, 2D2, and 3D2, and plug connections 97. When an amount is to be read out of accumulator No. 1 the relay 1D is energized to close its contacts 1D2 and an impulse from the emitter E2 passes through one of the lines 99, the corresponding stud 41, brush 40, common segment 42 and connections 95, 97 to magnet 32. The circuit for transferring amounts from the register to one or other accumulator comprises connections 100 to contacts 1T2, 2T2, and 3T2 of relays 1T, 2T and 3T, and connections 101 to the connections 97. The amounts gathered in accumulators No. 1 and No. 2 are transmitted to accumulator No. 3 by connections 102, 103, to contacts 1G2, 2G2 of relays 1G, 2G, and through leads 104, 105 to the appropriate denominational magnets 32. When the final product is to be printed contacts P5 are closed and the circuit from accumulator No. 3 is completed through leads 106, 107 to the printing magnets 58. The number of doubling and transfer cycles depends on the digit values of the multiplier and the means controlling these operations is shown in Fig. 1a. The lower brushes for the multiplier are connected to leads 109 and contacts H3 of the relay H. The contacts are associated with the arms of emitters 1E3, 2E3, 3E3 the studs of which are connected by leads 110 to magnets K, a set being provided for each denomination. The magnets are maintained energized throughout the subsequent calculating cycles and close their relay contacts K2, K3, through which the doubling and transfer controlling relays 1D, 2D, 3D, 1T, 2T, and 3T are energized. These contacts are connected by wires 114 to leads 115 ; for example in the " 9 " position the relay 1D is connected to three successive lines 115 so that doubling will take place in three successive cycles and the relay IT is connected to a fourth line for a single transfer operation. A table for the connections is set forth in the Specification. The leads 115 are connected to conducting studs 116 of a stepping relay the contact arm 117 of which is connected to a spring biassed lever 118 operated by a pawl and ratchet mechanism 119 under the control of an electromagnet 120. During the first cycle when the relay Y is energized by the set up of the cycle controller to close contacts Y5 the magnet 120 will be energized to advance the arm 117 from the " 1 to the " 2 " position. During the second cycle the magnets K are energized and the arm 117 is advanced to the " 3 " position whereupon circuits are completed in accordance with the setting of the contacts K2, K3, for either doubling or transferring operations for each of the accumulators. The stepping of the arm 117 to the succeeding positions goes on until the cycle-control magnet C de-energizes the relay Y and energizes the relays 1G, 2G, and P successively as above described. These operations open one or other of the contacts 1G6, 2G6 or P6 in the circuit